Recessed lighting fixture support with attached junction box



Aug. 13, 1963 J. KAUFMAN ETAL 3,100,579

RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE SUPPORT WITH ATTACHED JUNCTION BOX Filed Nov. 15, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 United States Patent 3,100,579 RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE SUPPORT WITH ATTACHED JUNCTION BOX Jack Kaufman, Chicago, and Alvin Lund, Carpentersville,

Ill., assignors to Markstone Manufacturing Company,

a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 151,692 7 Claims. (Cl. 220-334) This invention relates to a recessed lighting fixture support having an attached junction box for electrical wiring, and in particular it relates to a junction box which is combined with the plaster frame of a recessed lighting fixture.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a recessed lighting fixture support on which is fixedly mounted a junction box of very simple and inexpensive construction which has a very small number of parts and may be assembled rapidly without the use of tools or special fixtures. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a junction box one wall of which is formed by a base plate which is a portion of a plaster frame for a recessed light-.

ing fixture, and in which the other walls of the junction box are formed by a single metal strapwhich cooperates with the base plate to enclose the perimeter of the box, and two identical face plates which are detachably secured to opposite edges of the strap by spring means.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a plaster frame for a recessed lighting fixture which is provided with a junction box in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational View of the plaster frame and junction box;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a section on an enlarged scale taken substantially as illustrated along the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section taken substantially as illustrated along the line 55 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the junction box to illustrate the retaining spring for the junction box face plates.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, a plaster frame for a recessed lighting fixture include a base plate 10 having an integral downturned collar 11 which surrounds a central opening in which a recessed lighting fixture may be mounted by suitable connections between the fixture housing and attaching ears 12 on the plaster frame. The base plate is provided with integral struck-out loops 13 which project upwardly from the plane of the plate and similar downwardly struck loops 14, said loops being adapted to receive mounting bars by means of which the plaster frame is secured between the studding of a ceiling.

Base plate 10 of the plaster frame provides one side of a junction box, indicated generally at 15. As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, base plate 10, adjacent one of its edges, has a pair of spaced, U-shaped slots 16 which provide integral oppositely facing tongues 17 to afford fastening means for a one piece metal strap d8 (best seen in FIG. 5). Flanking each of the slots 16 are upwardly struck ears 16a, and the free ends of the two ears adjacent either of the slots 16 are aligned with one another in a plane which is between the base and the free end of the associated tongue 17. Strap 18 forms ends '19 and 20, and a top 21, which cooperate with base plate 10 to enclose the perimeter of junction box '15; and the end portions 22 of the strap are of reduced width and provided with slots 23 which are impaled by the tongues 17 of the base plate. Thus, strap -18 may be rigidly secured to base plate 10 by inserting one of its end portions 22 in a slot 16 of the base 31,190,579 Patented Aug. 13, 1963 plate, impaling the slot 23 in the strap by the tongue 17, and forcing the strap over the free ends of ears 16a. The opposite end of strap 18 is then similarly engaged with the other tongue 17 and associated ears 16a on the base plate.

The junction box structure also includes a pair of identical face plates 24, each of which has an edge 25 resting on base plate 10 and has its peripheral portion continuously abutting an edge 18a of the strap 18 so that the two face plates 24 close the two sides of the junction box. Each face plate 24 at a firstend portion 26 has an inwardly struck integral lug 27 which impales a slot 28 in the strap 18, so that the lug 27 and slot 28 provide interengaging means securing one end of the face plate to the strap.

The opposite end portion 29 of each face plate 24 is provided with a notch 30', and said notches receive opposite ends of a formed leaf spring, indicated generally at 31, the central portion 32 of which is detachably secured to strap 18 adjacent the ends 2 9 of the face plates by being held between strap 18 and an integral outwardly struck finger 33 on the strap. As best seen in FIG. 5, an

end of the integral finger '33 is spaced from strap 18 so 7 that the spring 31 may be mounted on the strap by sliding it into the space between the strap and the finger.

Formed leaf spring 31 has its central area 32 flanked by outwardly arched biasing portions 34, and the outer end portions of the spring extend laterally beyond both of the edges 18a of the strap and are bent to extend parallel to face plates 24 providing detent portions 35 which overlie the adjacent peripheral portions of both face plates. The detent portions at the ends of spring 35 merge into outwardly extending finger pieces 36 which facilitate flexing of the ends of the spring to engage the spring with, or disengage it from, the face plates 24.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, each face plate has a pair of inwardly bent lugs 30a above and below notch 30', and those lugs lie immediately inside the perimeter of the junction box, against strap 18, when the junction box is assembled.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clarity of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. Apparatus of the character described, comprising: a mounting base plate of substantial area having an opening surrounded by a depending flange; means. associated with said opening to secure a recessed lighting fixture in the opening; a one-piece metal strap the ends of which are fixedly secured to the base plate, said strap cooperating with said base plate to completely enclose the perimeter of the box and having generally parallel opposite edges; a first metal face plate having an edge seated on the base plate and having a peripheral port-ion continuously abutting one of the edges of the strap to close a side of the box; means securing said first face plate to the strap; a second :metal face plate having an edge seated upon the base plate and having a peripheral portion continuously abutting the other edge of the strap to close the other side of the box; and means detacha-bly securing both ends of said second face plate to opposite portions of the strap, said means including spring clip means at one of said ends, whereby said. one of said face plates is quickly removable for ready access to the interior of the box.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the ends of the strap and the base plate have integral in-terengaging means comprising spaced tongues on the base plate with free ends extending outwardly and laterally extending shoulders at the bases of the tongues, said tongues irnpaling slots in theend portions of the strap, and inclined lugs flanking each of the tongues and having generally upright portions bearing on the outer face of the strap to lock the strap on the tongues and against the shoulders.

3. The apparatus of claim: *1 in which the spring means cornpnises :a formed leaf spring which has its central area secured to the strap and which has opposite end portions extending laterally beyond both edges of the strap and provided with integral idetents overlying the adjacent peripheral portions of both face plates, there being finger pieces at the free ends of said spring for flexing either end to release the face plate with which said end is engaged.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the spring clip means is on the strap andoverlies the adjacent margin of the second face plate, and said second face plate has lngs flanking and spaced slightly inwlardly from the portions engaged by [the spring detents, said lngs extending into the junction box and engaging inner faces of the strap to fix the face plates against endwise movement.

5. Apparatus of thecharaoter described, comprising: a base plate of substantial area having an opening surrounded by a depending flange, there being spaced slots in the plate and outwardly extending, integral tongues in the slots; a one piece metal strap the end portions of which extend into said slots and have slots impaled by said tongues to secure the ends of the strap to the base plate, said strap cooperating with the base plate to completely enclose the perimeter of the box and having gen;- erally parallel opposite edges; a pair of identical metal face plates each of which has aned'ge seated on the base plate and a peripheral portion continuously abutting one of the edges of the strap, whereby said face plates close opposite sidesof the box; integral interengaging means on a first end of each face plate and on said strap detachably securing said first ends of the face plates to the strap; and a formed leaf spring which has its central area secured to the strap adjacent second end portions of the face plates; said spring having opposite end portions extending laterally beyond both edges of the strap and provided with integral detents which overlie said second end portions of the two face plates to detachably secure said face plates to the strap, whereby each of said face plates is quickly removable for ready access to the interior of the box.

6. The junction box of claim 5 in which said second end portions of rthe'face plates extend beyond the strap and are provided with notches, and the opposite end portions of the spring seat in said notches.

7. The junction box of claim 5 in which said second end portions of the face plates have lugs flanking and spaced slightly inwardly from the portions engaged by the spring detents, said lngs extending into the junction box and engaging inner face of the strap to fix the face plates against endwise movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,301,826 Fisher Apr. 29, 1919 1,592,990 Raquette et al. July 20, 1926 2,006,657 Smith July 2, 1935 2,510,745 Kilgore June 6, 1950 3,057,993 Gellert Oct. 9, 1962 

1. APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, COMPRISING: A MOUNTING BASE PLATE OF SUBSTANTIAL AREA HAVING AN OPENING SURROUNDED BY A DEPENDING FLANG; MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID OPENING TO SECURE A RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE IN THE OPENING; A ONE-PIECE METAL STRAP THE ENDS OF WHICH ARE FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE BASE PLATE, SAID STRAP COOPERATING WITH SAID BASE PLATE TO COMPLETELY ENCLOSE THE PERIMETER OF THE BOX AND HAVING GENERALLY PARALLEL OPPOSITE EDGES; A FIRST METAL FACE PLATE HAVING AN EDGE SEATED ON THE BASE PLATE AND HAVING A PERIPHERAL PORTION CONTINUOUSLY ABUTTING ONE OF THE EDGES OF THE STRAP TO CLOSE A SIDE OF THE BOX; MEANS SECURING SAID FIRST FACE PLATE TO THE STRAP; A SECOND METAL FACE PLATE HAVING AN EDGE SEATED UPON THE BASE PLATE AND HAVING A PERIPHERAL PORTION CONTINUOUSLY ABUTTING THE OTHER EDGE OF THE STRAP TO CLOSE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BOX; AND MEANS DETACHABLY SECURING BOTH ENDS OF SAID SECOND FACE PLATE TO OPPOSITE PORTION OF THE STRAP, SAID MEANS INCLUDING SPRING CLIP MEANS AT ONE OF SAID ENDS, WHEREBY SAID ONE OF SAID FACE PLATES IS QUICKLY REMOVABLE FOR READY ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR OF THE BOX. 